Each month in the leadup to the World Cup, Just Women’s Sports will make the case for one player as most essential to the success of the U.S. women’s national team in 2023. Next up: Lynn Williams.

The absence of Lynn Williams’ skillset from the USWNT roster in 2022 made her importance to the team that much clearer.

The defensive prowess she brings to the forward line should make her a lock for the World Cup. Indeed, coach Vlatko Andonovski has made clear his appreciation for the Williams since her return from the hamstring tear that sidelined her for most of last year.

“One of the things that Lynn is very special at, is she’s probably one of the best defenders from the attacking players. There is no hesitation when she goes into press, (she) drives the press, drives the intensity of the team, sets up a good rhythm,” USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski said during the SheBelieves Cup in February.

In addition to Williams’ defensive abilities, she’s also shown off her scoring touch, notching her first goal of 2023 just seven minutes into her first game back with the team in January.

Seven minutes into her first appearance following a long-term hamstring injury, Lynn Williams gets on the scoresheet 😤 pic.twitter.com/z12EZVh3eR

— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 18, 2023

While the USWNT had more problems than just Williams’ absence in late 2022, the team nonetheless has looked much better with her back in the lineup.

The 29-year-old forward is still working her way back to full health, but that means she could be even more lethal as the team sets its eyes on another World Cup title.

“I love being back in this environment. It’s a tough environment to be in, as I’m sure everybody can imagine. I’m feeling more and more like myself every single day. I still think I have a bit more to feel like myself again,” she told The Athletic in February. “It’s always an honor to be here.”

After she was snubbed from the 2019 World Cup team, she was named to the Tokyo Olympic team and proved her worth in that tournament. During the team’s Olympic quarterfinal against the Netherlands, she notched a goal and an assist to help them go up 2-1 in a span of three minutes.

What makes her performance in Tokyo even more impressive is that Williams wasn’t one of the 18 players initially named to the roster. Rather, she was added later when the Olympics expanded their rosters to 22 players.

On her first start, @lynnraenie adds another one for @TeamUSA! 2️⃣ - 1️⃣@USWNT x #TokyoOlympics

📺 NBCSN
💻 https://t.co/aazsVXbtR0
📱 NBC Sports App pic.twitter.com/1MSB2Soo0D

— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2021

She has continued to prove her worth and her value to Andonovski’s squad since then. So this year, there should be no question about her place on the World Cup roster.

On top of her scoring abilities, she also can set up her teammates — for example, she once helped Christen Press send one home sans a boot. She’s up to 15 goals and 11 assists for the USWNT in her career, including 10 assists in 2020 and 2021.

Who says you need two boots on to provide an assist ⁉️

Not Lynn Williams 🇺🇸 #CWOQ @lynnraenie @USWNT @Concacafpic.twitter.com/RwfpOXC4FH

— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) January 29, 2020

On the club side, she is joining forces with Midge Purce in New York after a trade to Gotham FC, which means the two forwards could link up even better when playing for the USWNT.

Even still, Williams has proven how invaluable she is for the USWNT no matter who else is with her on the pitch. Her abilities to adapt will work well for the USWNT as they play against teams they haven’t played before in the World Cup, and teams that they have (looking at you, Netherlands).

That, and she’s also a built-in babysitting auntie for the team children, with Crystal Dunn, AD Franch and Alex Morgan all traveling with their kids.

“I just think it comes naturally,” Williams said, “and obviously Crystal is a good friend of mine and her baby is adorable. So it’s pretty easy to just take him and hold him all the time.”

Best aunts on the planet 💃 pic.twitter.com/DDo3EDJkyr

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 17, 2023

Who is the most essential USWNT player?

• The case for… Mallory Swanson
• The case for… Rose Lavelle
• The case for… Sophia Smith
• The case for… Catarina Macario
• The case for… Alex Morgan
• The case for… Becky Sauerbrunn
• The case for… Julie Ertz
• The case for… Naomi Girma
• The case for… Crystal Dunn

College basketball made its return by unleashing a blockbuster slate of games to tip off the 2024/25 NCAA season on Monday.

While fans will have to wait until Thursday for their first season look at No. 2 UConn's preseason All-American Paige Bueckers, 16 of the preseason Top 25 teams hit Monday's court, including No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 7 LSU, and No. 8 Iowa State.

Paris doubleheader tips off college basketball season in style

It all started with a ranked doubleheader in Paris, France. First, No. 3 USC squeaked by No. 20 Ole Miss 68-66 behind double-doubles from preseason All-Americans JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen.

Even though USC led by 11 points after the first half, they needed both sophomore phenom Watkins's 27 points and 10 rebounds plus Stanford transfer Iriafen's 22 points and 13 rebounds to stave off the Rebels' 40-point second-half surge.

As for Ole Miss, guard KK Deans made an early season statement by leading her team with 19 points. All-SEC shooter Madison Scott put up another 14. Out of the gate, the Rebels expertly disrupted the Trojan offense, forcing USC to commit 26 turnovers in their season opener.

Later, No. 5 UCLA followed USC in bringing a season-opening win back to California. Led by star center Lauren Betts's 18-point, 12-rebound double-double, the Bruins — who committed 22 turnovers — defeated No. 17 Louisville 66-59.

Despite the loss, Louisville freshman guard Tajianna Roberts made a major splash, racking up 21 points in her college basketball debut.

Notably, the first-ever Paris NCAA basketball game was contested to open the 2023/24 season. At that time, South Carolina defeated Notre Dame, kicking off an undefeated run all the way to the 2024 NCAA Championship — a path USC and UCLA will be eager to follow after Monday's victories.

Other Monday matchups showcase NCAA basketball talent

Overseas battles aside, much of the NCAA's opening day pairings were dominated by ranked schools. Top-25 teams triumphed over lesser opponents, none more so than No. 19 Florida State's 119-49 win over North Florida.

However, the day's most intriguing ranked-unranked matchup is still to come, when No. 1 South Carolina takes on Michigan in Las Vegas.

With the exception of Chicago Sky rookie Kamilla Cardoso, the Gamecocks return every starter and most of their bench from last season's championship roster. They'll look to extend their unbeaten run into this season, starting with the Wolverines.

How to watch the South Carolina vs. Michigan NCAA basketball game

South Carolina women's basketball will tip off against Michigan in Las Vegas at 7:30 PM ET on Monday, with live coverage on TNT.

The 2024 NWSL Playoffs are officially set, with Portland and Bay FC clinching the final two postseason spots this weekend.

The Thorns punched their ticket with Friday's 3-0 win over Angel City thanks to a trio of first-half goals from attackers Christine Sinclair, Sophia Smith, and Morgan Weaver. The victory officially extends Sinclair's pro career by at least one more match, and saw the soccer legend notch her final goal in front of a Providence Park home crowd in her 200th regular-season game.

Then on Saturday, a brace from forward Racheal Kundananji boosted Bay FC to a 3-2 win over Houston, snagging the 2024 expansion team the postseason's No. 7 seed in the process. Even more, Bay became the winningest first-year team in NWSL history with 11 wins, surpassing 2022 expansion team San Diego's 10 victories.

Top NWSL playoff teams build postseason momentum

The top four playoff-bound teams rolled through their last regular-season matches, with Orlando, Washington, Gotham, and Kansas City securing both victories and important postseason momentum.

Notably, Shield-winners Orlando snapped their two-game skid with Saturday's 3-2 win over Seattle, giving Pride fans hope for some more 2024 hardware.

North Carolina and Chicago, however, floundered in losses. Washington striker Ashley's Hatch's 37th-minute goal was the difference-maker in North Carolina's 1-0 loss on Saturday, the Courage's first home defeat since April 2023, when they also fell to the Spirit on a Hatch game-winner.

Like the Courage, the Red Stars locked up their playoff spot weeks ago, but their 3-1 Sunday loss to KC had arguably the most potent impact on the postseason picture. The combination of Chicago's defeat and victories from Portland and Bay sent the Red Stars down to eighth place on the table, their lowest standing in the league all season.

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Chawinga officially clinches NWSL Golden Boot Award

The other big weekend winner was KC's Temwa Chawinga. Chawinga officially took the 2024 Golden Boot title behind her league-record 20 goals and six assists, despite sitting out the Current's Sunday victory with a knee injury.

Also impressing from the injured list this season is Spirit rookie Croix Bethune, who finished as the year's NWSL assist leader. Before her season-ending meniscus tear in August, Bethune notched 10 assists to tie the NWSL record held by Tobin Heath.

How to watch the 2024 NWSL Playoffs

The NWSL's first-ever eight-team bracket is locked up, with the quarterfinals kicking off on Friday.

No. 1 Orlando will face No. 8 Chicago at 8 PM ET on Friday, streaming live on Prime, with No. 4 Kansas City battling No. 5 North Carolina on Saturday at 12 PM ET on CBS.

Sunday's doubleheader will air on ABC, with No. 2 Washington hosting No. 7 Bay FC at 12:30 PM ET before No. 6 Portland visits No. 3 Gotham at 3 PM ET.

The year's final major tennis tournament begins on Saturday when the sport's highest-ranked athletes descend on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to compete in the 2024 WTA Finals.

Featuring the eight best singles players and eight best doubles teams, Slam winners and Olympic medalists alike will compete for the Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova trophies before the winter break.

Also up for grabs is a piece of the record $15.25 million prize pool, larger than any Grand Slam purse and a nearly 70% increase over the 2023 pot. Should the champions go undefeated through the tournament, the singles winner will bank $5.155 million, while the top doubles duo will take home $1.125 million.

Eight days of elite tennis action

In both the WTA Finals singles and doubles categories, competitors are split into two groups of four.

Each singles player or doubles pair will play all others in their group for a total of three matches across the first six days. The top two in each group will then compete in the November 8th semifinals, with both finals set for November 9th.

In the singles contest, the Purple Group includes No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 4 Jasmine Paolini, No. 5 Elena Rybakina, and No. 7 Qinwen Zheng, while the Orange Group lists No. 2 Iga Świątek, No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 6 Jessica Pegula, and No. 8 Barbora Krejčíková.

In both competitions, 25% of the top eight athletes represent the USA. Along with Gauff and Pegula on the singles court, the doubles tournament includes No. 5 US duo Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk as well as Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Taylor Townsend in the Nos. 6 and 8 pairs, respectively.

Will Sabalenka play Świątek at the WTA Finals?

A showdown between Sabalenka and 2023 WTA Finals champion Świątek could be the event's blockbuster match. The top-ranked players have yet to square off in a major tournament in 2024 — a year rife with highs and lows for both athletes.

Sabalenka started the WTA season by winning her second Australian Open, then later struggled through a shoulder injury that forced her to withdraw from Wimbledon. She capped the Grand Slam season in style, though, winning her first US Open in September.

As for five-time Grand Slam victor Świątek, 2024 brought the Polish phenom her fourth French Open title. A rockier second half to the season — including a third round and quarterfinal ousting from Wimbledon and the US Open, and a fall from the No. 1 ranking for the first time since November 2023 — motivated Świątek to seek a new coach.

How to watch the 2024 WTA Finals tennis tournament

The 2024 WTA Finals kicks off on Saturday, when US Open winner Sabalenka plays 2024 Olympic gold medalist Zheng at 11 AM ET.

Later, 2023 US Open champ Gauff will take on 2024 US Open runner-up Pegula at 8:45 AM ET on Sunday.

All 2024 WTA Finals matches will be broadcast live on the Tennis Channel.

In today’s episode of the Late Sub, host Claire Watkins wraps up the USWNT's October window with a look at the team’s 3-0 win over Argentina, from how rotation became the US’s strength to center back Naomi Girma's unparalleled ability to do it all.

Then, Watkins refocuses on the NWSL, where six of the league's 14 clubs will complete their 2024 seasons this weekend. First, however, the league will determine the eight playoff teams, pulling from a postseason race that could come down to Sunday's final regular-season match.

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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